Regrouping after bypoll setback
In a bid to mount pressure on AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami to convene the general council meeting, the rebel camp is planning to stay away from the party’s 55th foundation day celebrations and public meetings scheduled for Oct 17, 22 and 23. Sources in the rebel camp confirmed the meeting but remained tight-lipped about their next move.
The leaders are exploring ways to regroup dissenting MLAs and senior functionaries to challenge Palaniswami’s leadership citing party’s continuing poor electoral performance, an AIADMK functionary in the rebel camp said. Hence I visited his house,” he said. Anbazhagan said he would pay floral tributes to the statues of party founder M G Ramachandran and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa at the Palacode bus stand. A senior leader in the Palaniswami camp said the rebel camp would not succeed in its efforts to brow beat the AIADMK general secretary. They will stand by him,” the leader said.
Anbazhagan, however, played down the meeting, describing it as a casual interaction. “I have not met Velumani for the past one and half months, after the assembly session got over. He was non-committal about attending AIADMK’s public meeting in Dharmapuri district as part of party’s foundation day celebrations. “All the current district secretaries and senior functionaries were appointed by Palaniswami.
Chennai: AIADMK ’s rebel leaders were back in action on Monday, holding closed door meetings in Chennai, after the party’s drubbing in Madurantakam and Dharapuram bypolls. On Sunday, when Palaniswami took a dig at chief minister C Joseph Vijay accusing him of attempting to claim credit for the Vadapalani – Poonamallee metro rail project, S P Velumani thanked the CM for inaugurating the project.
AIADMK sources said former ministers S P Velumani, C Ve Shanmugam, P Thangamani and Natham Viswanathan were discussing their next course of action for the past few days. Former higher education minister K P Anbazhagan has also joined the meeting on Monday at Velumani’s MRC Nagar residence in Chennai.